We are supposed to get out of class around 1:15 p.m. After that, it’s lunch. Most of us have been in class with minimal breaks since 6:30 yoga, so by the end of sci-tech, we’re ready to chew our own hands off with hunger. We lift ourselves from the desks we’ve been sitting in all morning and cross the veranda to the dining room.
“What do you think’s for lunch?” Alyssa asks me as we enter.
“Oh I don’t know, probably some potatoes and cauliflower, roti, rice, something that looks like yogurt…” I reply with a smirk.
“Sound’s about right,” Alyssa laughs. You can imagine our surprise when plates of potatoes, roti, a giant crock of fluffy white rice, and a mixture of intensely cooked vegetables dowsed in oil and Masala line the counter. Alyssa, I, and the other students shovel the traditional South Indian cuisine onto our plates and take seats around a long rectangular table.
“I would kill for a giant Italian sub right now,” J says through mouthfuls of sauce-covered rice.
Alex has stuffed a roti with vegetables, folds it like a burrito, and takes a bite.
“Humph. It’s not the same,” he sighs.
I, personally, could go for a big fresh salad sprinkled with pine nuts and feta cheese (we can’t eat uncooked veggies here) or a syrupy short stack of blueberry pancakes.
Hell, I’d even settle for a peanut butter and banana on wheat or a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich.
It’s not that South Indian food doesn’t taste good. In fact, it tastes awesome. Every meal, whether cooked at the institute or at a restaurant tastes great. And what makes it taste even better is the fact that you can get a full meal of roti, soup, rice, and multiple sauce-type dishes all for about $1. We can eat every meal like kings.
But the problem is the food’s more or less all the same, meal after meal, day after day. Many of us came in to this thinking “I love Indian food so much! There is no possible way I could get sick of it!” But after two only weeks, lack of variation has gotten to us, keeping us in pursuit of the oh-so-sparse American food restaurant.
I think what it comes down to is the Westerner’s need for variety. Americans have so many options for how to stimulate our palates, what to do for entertainment, what styles of clothes to wear, which games to play, how to do our hair, etc. etc. that we have very little tolerance for monotony. We’ve been brought up to expect options and possibilities.
Do you agree?
We love 47 varieties of pickles!
We need our 220 high-definition television channels!
Take New York City; It might be the representative example of our need for variety. On any given street you might find 14 different ethnic food restaurants, three theaters, a handful of art galleries, any kind of store you could want, bars, strip clubs, yoga studios, gyms, it’s like a condensed version of the corporate America variety show.
Well, I’ve taken the liberty to illustrate my experience thus far in a way we can all understand - by starting one list of things in Mysore that are predictable (lack variety) and another of things with lots of variety and are therefore unpredictable. It's not exaclty NYC:
Predictable -
1) Getting Diarrhea (and other sicknesses) - The spices, cooking methods, and bacteria in South Indian food put our weak-ass American digestive systems to shame. By now, we have all had the pleasure of experiencing what I like to call: “Uh Oh! Gotta Go!” Syndrome. Symptoms include:
* Periodic sprints to the bathroom. These come on without warning and with the force of a nuclear missile.
* Loss of appetite – We know all too well that it’ll all be back to haunt us in 15 minutes anyways.
* Absence from classes. Who can focus on work with all that commotion in the stomach?
* Episodes of water chugging to get away from dehydration station.
* Extra trips to the office to ask for yet another role of toilet paper.
My advice? Don’t be stupid like me and wait for it to go away. It is not just your body adjusting to the spices. It’s your body being mauled by bacteria it can’t handle. Take the medicine ASAP. Do it.
2) Teachers’ opinions on government, World Bank, media, consumption, politicians, corporations, globalization, science… –They’re evil.
3) Scamming rickshaw drivers – “It’s raining,” “I’m still 11kms from my home,” and “The meter is not enough” are not reasons to charge 60 rupees for a ride that should cost 30. We may be white, but we’re not morons. Maybe they should try “You owe me more because of the unjust imbalanced distribution of wealth in the world.” They might win me over with that one.
4) Women in TV commercials – television commercials seem to largely cater to upper class, Westernized individuals. They usually showcase young, pretty men and women interacting. Women are almost always wearing Western style clothing (despite the fact that nearly all the women in Mysore, regardless of age, class, or caste, wear saris and Indian-style clothes), they are and are depicted as either domestic roles or sexually. They seem to, like, be, like, the valley-girl equivalent of, like, Indians. It’s also impossible to turn on the TV for more than 10 minutes without seeing an add for skin-whitening cream. Way-to-go, Western cultural imperialism!
5) Getting dirty – just lower your standards of hygiene right from the beginning because for the next three-and-a-half months you won’t recognize the soles of your feet, or see a shiny floor.
6) The smell of burning trash – Waste management at its finest.
Unpredictable -
1) Locals’ reactions to us – Will they smile and say “hi” when they see us? Stare? Swear? Beg? This is definitely not predictable. Chances are little kids will either say “hi,” giggle and run away, or follow us in groups chirping “auntie” and asking for “biscuits.” Adults might do anything from stare to, to laugh, to swear at us in English or Kannada (usually men), smile, ignore us…it’s like puppy surprise.
2) Who will be teaching class today – I don’t know who it’s going to be, but you bet your ass, whoever it is, “We’ll continue to be impressed with the quality of teachers” (according to Dr. Rao, who reminds us this over and over and over).
3) Insect sightings – Every day it’s something new and different! Starting when little seven-year-old Evan snatches up a fat, juicy, 6-inch long millipede and sets in on the bench wear Jason and I are studying. The next day I discover the pleasant three-inch wasps – black with a bright orange stripe- in the laundry room. Then there are the psychedelic preying mantises on the pillars and finally a spider in the stairwell with a penny-sized body and legs like oversized toothpicks. I’m also pretty sure they sell cookies at some of the food stands with grasshoppers bakes into them.
- Who will show up for yoga – It’s 6:30 in the damn morning. There may be six of us, there may be 16 pulling ourselves out of bed at the ass-crack of the day just to lift out legs and touch our toes.
4) The weather –I guess you could say it’s predictably unpredictable. Chances are each day will include periods of downpour, sunshine, intense heat, high winds, coolness, and drizzle – not necessarily in this order. Because of this, I’ve taken to not bothering to prepare for anything. Otherwise, I’d need a jacket, an umbrella, a light change of cloths…so not happening.
5) Sounds – Will I wake up to someone dropping coconuts from the trees? Dogs barking? Organ music? Drums? Singing? Coughing uncontrollably? Laughing? Whatever it is, it won’t be highway noises, an airplane, or a garbage truck.
(This list is subject to revision so if you also happen to be in Mysore, give me what you got!)
6 comments:
The trick is to unload the full force of the diarrhea onto the penny-sized spiders. -Lonely Planet: India, Chap. 14, p. 221.
While I was in China, I often pondered how in the world the Chinese people eat the SAME DAMN DISHES every single meal. White rice with meat, assorted vegetables and a fatal dose of MSG.
It was not until the end that I made this connection: I always got the same thing because I was always eating ridiculously cheap Chinese food. If you were trying to eat on the cheap in America, your palate would be relegated to meal after meal of burgers and fries and chicken patties and pizza. Though for most Americans, this actually does compose a hearty portion of their diet, it surely does not comprise the entire spectrum of American food.
In light of this, if you want to experience an ASSORTED variety of amazing Indian food, venture away from the cafeteria and the cheap curry stands and hit up places Indian people would dine at for special occasions. It might cost a few more rupees, but it's still a lot cheap than some chik NYC fusion restaurant.
A mere recommendation from my personal experience, certainly not meant to refute any of your insights into American culture.
I do think Americans have too many choices-- but phrasing it that way makes it a negative. I love that we have so much choice. This argument is used against us in many other countries and cultures.
I agree with feste that your situation has to do with where you are getting your food, but even Indian cuisine--as with any culture--only ranges so much. If you're really craving Italian subs there's not much that can be done for you. I think it's not that there's so much "American" cuisine in the states, but that on any given day you can have a form of any wordly cuisine you'd want if you live in the right places or know where to look (and cook).
Of course feste is also right in saying that you're actually tasting real Indian cuisine. Indian food--like many cultural foods brought to the US--taste a little different b/c of preperation and spices. I think you're lucky in this regard.
Good luck Becca-- you've taken on a challenge that even I'm scared to do. I think it's amazing that you're there and experiencing life even if it gets mundane and sickly at times. That's life in syr. too.
It'll make you a stronger writer and person is what I think.
Best,
-LP
Your blog is awesome! Just thought I'd let you know.. :D
ahahahhahhahah thaat was frickin hilaaaaarious!!
I found myself laughing outloud on numerous occasions reading through this. And take in mind this is in an internet cafe here in Thailand. The weather thing is so on point its scary. In phuket it may rain for 20 minutes and then not rain and then not rain a block away. never can tell. Like the blog for sure.
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